Last updated: September 26, 2026 · Originally published: June 2, 2026 · By Eternal Elixir Editorial
Quick answer: Turkesterone is a plant compound from Ajuga turkestanica, sold in Australia as a training supplement for muscle and strength. The research on it is thin. The only human study of turkesterone itself gave 11 young men single doses and found no significant change in IGF-1 or metabolism. The muscle results people quote come from ecdysterone, a related compound, where one 10-week trial found larger gains and two others found none. Short-term tolerance looks good, but no one has studied turkesterone over weeks or months.
Our own Turkesterone 500mg is sold out. For the testosterone side of the same training goal, our in-stock pick is Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, a different herb with placebo-controlled trials in men: 2,000mg per three-capsule serve, 90 capsules for $39.99, which is $1.33 a serve, sent from Sydney within 24 hours.
Eternal Elixir makes Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg and our Turkesterone 500mg, so this is our recommendation, not a neutral review. Tongkat Ali is not an ecdysteroid and does not work the way turkesterone is claimed to. Every study below is listed at the end, and competitor details were read from each product’s own page in September 2026.
What Is Turkesterone?
Turkesterone is an ecdysteroid, one of a family of steroid-shaped compounds that plants and insects make. It is taken from the roots and leaves of Ajuga turkestanica, a herb from Central Asia. Its better-studied relative, ecdysterone (also called 20-hydroxyecdysone), is found in foods such as spinach and quinoa and in herbs such as maral root.
Despite the name, neither is an anabolic steroid. In lab work with muscle cells, ecdysterone made the cells grow, and that growth was blocked by a drug that stops oestrogen receptors but not by one that stops androgen receptors (Parr, 2014). The same paper found larger muscle fibres in rats. That points to a different route from testosterone, but it comes from cells and animals, and no study has confirmed the mechanism in people. For a plain-English walk through that theory, see our turkesterone 101 guide.
Turkesterone vs ecdysterone
Most claims about turkesterone borrow evidence from ecdysterone. The two share a structure, but they are different molecules, and no human trial has compared them. When a label or video says studies show turkesterone builds muscle, it usually means one ecdysterone study. Our comparison of turkesterone and ecdysterone sets out how far that evidence stretches.
Turkesterone Benefits: What the Research Actually Shows
These are the human studies we could find, for turkesterone and for ecdysterone.
| Study | Compound | Who | Dose and length | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris et al., 2024 | Turkesterone | 11 healthy men, average age 23 | Single doses of 1,000mg and 2,000mg and a placebo, at least 7 days apart | No significant change in IGF-1, resting metabolic rate or fat and carbohydrate use over 24 hours. IGF-1 drifted up without reaching significance. Stomach tolerance, blood pressure and heart rate were described as favourable. |
| Isenmann et al., 2019 | Ecdysterone | 46 young men doing strength training | Different doses by group, 10 weeks | Significantly larger gains in muscle mass and in one-rep bench press in the ecdysterone groups. No rise in liver or kidney markers. |
| Wilborn et al., 2006 | Ecdysterone | 45 resistance-trained men split into four groups | 200mg a day in the ecdysterone group, 8 weeks | No difference from placebo in lean mass, body fat, bench press, leg press or sprint power, and no change in testosterone or cortisol. |
| Dissemond et al., 2025 | Commercial ecdysterone and diosgenin capsules | 28 trained young men (24 finished) | Three times a day as the label said, 12 weeks | No difference from placebo. Lab testing found less than 1% of the ecdysterone the label claimed. |
So the case for turkesterone rests on one positive ecdysterone trial. The one trial that tested turkesterone itself used single doses and measured blood markers, not muscle. One of the two negative ecdysterone trials may be explained by a product that held almost none of its active compound, which is a buying lesson in itself.
What hasn’t been shown
- No human trial has tested turkesterone for muscle, strength or recovery over weeks of training.
- No human study has shown turkesterone raises testosterone. The 2006 ecdysterone trial measured it and found no change.
- Claims that turkesterone is stronger than ecdysterone come from animal and cell work, not people.
- No study has compared turkesterone doses, so there is no evidence that 1,000mg works better than 500mg.
Is Turkesterone Proven to Increase Muscle Growth?
No. The 10-week ecdysterone trial by Isenmann and colleagues is the best result, and it was strong enough that the authors recommended adding ecdysterone to the list of substances banned in sport. But a second trial at 200mg a day for 8 weeks found no effect, and a 2025 trial of a commercial product found none either. For turkesterone specifically there is no muscle trial at all.
If muscle gain is your main goal, training, protein and creatine have far more human evidence behind them. Our breakdown of turkesterone versus creatine for natural muscle building compares the two.
Is Turkesterone Safe? Side Effects and Who Should Be Cautious
The short-term data look reassuring, and the long-term data don’t exist. In the single-dose turkesterone study, the authors described stomach tolerance, blood pressure and heart rate as favourable. The 10-week ecdysterone trial found no rise in liver or kidney markers. Nobody has given turkesterone itself to people for longer than a day, so any claim about months of safe use is a guess.
Reported side effects
Stomach upset is the side effect labels plan for. Bulk Nutrients’ label suggests taking it with food if you have a sensitive stomach, and Apollo’s says to take one capsule daily with food.
Who should avoid it or check first
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, and teenagers. Bulk Nutrients’ label says it is not suitable for children under 15 or pregnant women.
- Anyone taking prescription medicine or with a hormone-sensitive health condition. Talk to your doctor first, because the lab work above links ecdysterone with oestrogen receptors.
- Athletes in drug-tested sport. The 2019 trial authors argued for ecdysterone to be banned in sport. Check your sport’s current rules and read our guide to whether turkesterone shows up on a drug test before you start.
What Are the Downsides of Turkesterone?
- Thin evidence. One positive trial of a related compound is the whole case for muscle gain.
- Label accuracy. The 2025 trial found less than 1% of the claimed ecdysterone in a commercial product. Labels also vary in what they state: some give a standardisation percentage, some give none.
- No long-term data. The only turkesterone study lasted one day per dose.
- Cost for an unproven result. The products we checked cost $0.49 to $1.67 a day, as the table below shows.
- Sport testing risk. Athletes in tested sport should be careful with it.
How to Take Turkesterone
Labels suggest 500 to 1,000mg a day with meals. The Harris team chose their doses because, they wrote, most manufacturers recommend 1,000mg a day and advise not going above 2,000mg. That is a market habit rather than a dose a trial has shown to work. Take it with food at a time you’ll remember, and run it alongside steady training for at least 8 weeks before you judge it, since the positive ecdysterone trial ran for 10.
Our turkesterone dosage guide covers timing, splitting doses and cycling, and our guide to how long turkesterone takes to work sets out what each trial measured at each point.
Turkesterone Australia: Availability and What to Look For
You don’t need to import turkesterone: several Australian retailers stock it. Prices are as of Sep 2026 and were read from each product’s own page.
| Product | Price (AUD) | Capsules | Per capsule | Label serve | Cost per day | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal Elixir Turkesterone 500mg | Sold out | 90 | 500mg Ajuga turkestanica extract, standardised to 10% ecdysteroids | 1 to 2 capsules with meals | Sold out | See our in-stock pick, Tongkat Ali 200:1 |
| Bulk Nutrients Turkesterone Capsules | $59.00 for 120 capsules ($54.00 each when you buy 4) | 120 | 500mg extract = 50mg turkesterone (10%) | 1 capsule a day | $0.49 | Bulk Nutrients |
| Apollo Nutraceuticals Enhanced Turkesterone (Nutrition Warehouse) | $99.95 for 60 capsules | 60 | 500mg turkesterone-cyclodextrin complex, extract standardised to 40%, plus 5mg black pepper extract | 1 capsule a day with food | $1.67 | Nutrition Warehouse |
Bulk Nutrients is the cheapest per day of the two in stock and states the turkesterone content in milligrams, which makes it the easiest label to read. Apollo states a higher standardisation, but because the 500mg figure covers a complex with cyclodextrin, the page doesn’t let you work out milligrams of turkesterone per capsule. No brand we checked, ours included, links to a human trial of its own product.
Whatever you buy, check three things. The label should name Ajuga turkestanica and give a standardisation percentage or a milligram figure for turkesterone. The brand should be willing to show a test result for the active compound, given what the 2025 trial found. And the bottle should cover a full 8-week run at your dose. Our guide to the best turkesterone supplements in Australia compares more products.
Our In-Stock Pick for the Same Goal: Tongkat Ali 200:1
Eternal Elixir doesn’t have turkesterone in stock right now. If what you want from turkesterone is support for testosterone alongside training, Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is our pick, because unlike turkesterone it has placebo-controlled trials that measured testosterone in men.
- Older men. 105 men aged 50 to 70, with testosterone below 300 ng/dL at the start, took 100mg or 200mg of a standardised water extract (Physta) or placebo for 12 weeks. Total testosterone rose more than on placebo in both groups, from week 4 at 200mg, and fatigue scores fell (Chinnappan, 2021). The extract’s maker funded the study and two authors worked for it.
- Stressed adults. 63 moderately stressed adults (32 men, 31 women) took 200mg of the same extract or placebo for 4 weeks. Salivary cortisol exposure fell 16% and testosterone status rose 37% in the Tongkat Ali group (Talbott, 2013). The same company funded it.
Our serve is not the trial dose, and here is how it differs. Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali gives 2,000mg of a 200:1 root extract per three-capsule serve. That is ten times the weight of the 200mg Physta dose, but the extracts are made differently and our label states an extraction ratio rather than a marker compound percentage, so the milligram figures can’t be compared directly. No trial has tested our exact extract.
- What’s in the bottle: Eurycoma longifolia root extract 200:1, 2,000mg per serve, with rice flour and a cellulose capsule, per the product page.
- How to take it: three capsules a day on an empty stomach, the opposite of turkesterone’s with-food advice. A 90-capsule bottle lasts 30 days.
- Price: $39.99 a bottle, or $1.33 a serve, with free shipping over $100 and Afterpay available.
- Who it doesn’t suit: anyone who wants an ecdysteroid specifically, anyone under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone on propranolol or other regular prescription medicine without their doctor’s advice. In a study of 14 healthy men, a 200mg dose cut the amount of propranolol absorbed by 29% (Salman, 2010).
Add Tongkat Ali 200:1 to cart · $39.99
For the full head-to-head, read Tongkat Ali versus turkesterone. Our Tongkat Ali benefits guide covers the rest of its research, our Tongkat Ali side effects guide covers safety, and our roundup of testosterone support supplements for Australian men compares other options.
Who Should Consider Turkesterone?
It may suit you if:
- You already train consistently, eat enough protein, and want to test a supplement over an 8-week block.
- You are happy to pay for a product with little human evidence and judge it on your own training log.
- You are not in a drug-tested sport.
It is not for you if:
- You want a proven muscle builder. Creatine has far more human evidence.
- You want testosterone support specifically. Turkesterone hasn’t been shown to raise it, while Tongkat Ali has trials that measured it.
- You are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, or compete in tested sport.
Turkesterone Australia: Frequently Asked Questions
Is turkesterone safe?
In the short term it looks well tolerated. The single-dose turkesterone study described stomach tolerance, blood pressure and heart rate as favourable, and a 10-week ecdysterone trial found no rise in liver or kidney markers. There is no long-term data on turkesterone itself, so stay within the label dose and talk to your doctor if you take medicine or have a health condition.
Is turkesterone a steroid?
It is an ecdysteroid, a steroid-shaped plant compound, not an anabolic steroid. Lab studies suggest ecdysterone acts on muscle cells through oestrogen receptors rather than androgen receptors, but this hasn’t been confirmed in people.
How long until turkesterone kicks in?
No turkesterone trial has run long enough to say. The ecdysterone trial that found a benefit lasted 10 weeks, so give any ecdysteroid at least 8 weeks of steady training before you judge it.
Is turkesterone proven to increase muscle growth?
No. One 10-week ecdysterone trial found larger muscle gains, but two other ecdysterone trials found no effect, and turkesterone itself has never been tested for muscle growth in people.
What are the downsides of turkesterone?
Thin evidence, no long-term safety data, labels that aren’t always accurate (one 2025 trial found less than 1% of the claimed active compound), a daily cost for an unproven result, and a risk for athletes in tested sport.
Can you buy turkesterone in Australia?
Yes. Bulk Nutrients and Apollo Nutraceuticals, among others, sell it through Australian stores. Our Turkesterone 500mg is sold out at the moment.
What is the best turkesterone supplement in Australia?
Our pick is Eternal Elixir, with one catch: our Turkesterone 500mg (90 capsules of 500mg extract standardised to 10% ecdysteroids) is sold out. While it is, our in-stock pick for the same training goal is Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, a different herb with trials that measured testosterone, at $1.33 a serve. If you want turkesterone today, look for a label that states milligrams of turkesterone and a standardisation percentage. Eternal Elixir makes both products, so weigh our view with that in mind.
Add Tongkat Ali 200:1 to cart · $39.99
Does turkesterone raise testosterone?
No human study has shown that it does. The 2006 ecdysterone trial measured testosterone and found no change at 200mg a day for 8 weeks. Tongkat Ali has placebo-controlled trials that found higher testosterone in men.
The Bottom Line
Turkesterone is a plant ecdysteroid with one encouraging trial behind its relative, ecdysterone, and no muscle trial of its own. It looks well tolerated in the short term, labels vary in accuracy, and tested athletes should be careful. If you try it, pick a label that states its turkesterone content, take it with food and give it 8 weeks.
Our pick for the same goal: Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, while our Turkesterone 500mg is sold out. It is a different herb, with placebo-controlled trials in men, at $39.99 for 90 capsules.
More reading: how much Tongkat Ali to take, the best Tongkat Ali supplements in Australia or the full Eternal Elixir range.
Sources
- Harris DR, Chapman-Lopez T, Machek SB, et al. The effects of multiple acute turkesterone doses on indirect measures of hypertrophy and metabolic measures: a preliminary investigation. Muscles. 2024;3(4):364-375. PubMed 40757520
- Isenmann E, Ambrosio G, Joseph JF, et al. Ecdysteroids as non-conventional anabolic agent: performance enhancement by ecdysterone supplementation in humans. Archives of Toxicology. 2019;93(7):1807-1816. PubMed 31123801
- Wilborn CD, Taylor LW, Campbell BI, et al. Effects of methoxyisoflavone, ecdysterone, and sulfo-polysaccharide supplementation on training adaptations in resistance-trained males. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2006;3(2):19-27. PubMed 18500969
- Dissemond J, Havers T, Held S, et al. How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2025;22(1):2540408. PubMed 40781783
- Parr MK, Zhao P, Haupt O, et al. Estrogen receptor beta is involved in skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by the phytoecdysteroid ecdysterone. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2014;58(9):1861-1872. PubMed 24974955
- Chinnappan SM, George A, Pandey P, Narke G, Choudhary YK. Effect of Eurycoma longifolia standardised aqueous root extract (Physta) on testosterone levels and quality of life in ageing male subjects. Food & Nutrition Research. 2021;65:5647. PubMed 34262417
- Talbott SM, Talbott JA, George A, Pugh M. Effect of Tongkat Ali on stress hormones and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013;10(1):28. PubMed 23705671
- Salman SA, Amrah S, Wahab MS, et al. Modification of propranolol’s bioavailability by Eurycoma longifolia water-based extract. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2010;35(6):691-696. PubMed 21054461
- Product pages read in September 2026: Bulk Nutrients Turkesterone Capsules and Apollo Nutraceuticals Enhanced Turkesterone at Nutrition Warehouse.
- Eternal Elixir Turkesterone 500mg and Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg product pages.
